The Mythical Mountain Of Galle

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Rumassala Mountain


 



Rumassala is a hilly peninsula which lies between Unawatuna beach & Magalle bay. Rumassala, known to some as Buona Vista( pleasant view), is the subject of many legends. It features in the Ramayana, as the home of the beautiful Queen Sita, hidden in the jungle nearby. According to the Ramayana,during the battle between the Indian King Rama & Ravana of Sri Lanka, the monkey God, Hanuman was sent to the Himalayas to fetch a medicinal plant for the wounded Lakshman( Rama's brother). The herbs were namely Mritasanjeevani, Bidhalayakarani, Suvarnakarani & Sandhani. But he was unable to find the plant, so he removed a plant of the Himalayan Mountain on which the plant was said to grow. He dropped a chunk at Unawatuna ("here it fell") to from the Rumassala headland. Many medicinal plants still grow on Rumassala , popular amongst ayurvedic doctors and meficine - men. 
        Rumassala hill gives you a beautiful  view of the Southern coast of Galle. Colonials used  Rumassala as a watering point to fill their craft with fresh water. Even today we can see the Surplus of the jetty. By the way, now it has become a service center for ships & crafts. The Rumassala forest has a vast collection of bio diversity. It is a yet another home to mammals, birds, insects & reptiles. Some of the indigenous and endemic animals, plants had been survived in the jungle. The ocean is quite rich with coral reefs & sea bio diversity. Tourists can snorkel, dive & explore the under water bio diversity. However, the Rumassala mountain range & coral reefs have been ensured.








In addition there is a temple & statue dedicated to Hanuman can be found adjoining the Peace Pagoda complex at the edge of Rumassala. The Solemn Shrine, Japanese peace pagoda was gifted by Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fuhi thero; founder of the Nipponzan - Myohoji Nikaya in Japan. It has added some colours to the Rumassala mountain. Thus a giant statue of Hanuman is built at the peace pagoda temple. Even today devotees visit this statue & worship 'Hanuma'.






Besides there also a temple called "Rumassala Sri Vivekaramaya" is a very spectucular temple which situated top of the Rumassala Mountain in Galle ( In front of the Japanese peace pagoda). This temple is famous among the local & foreign tourists, because of the spectacular statues, paintings & murals around the temple. You can see some of the relics of Loard Buddha's, Arahath Mugalan Tero's, Arahath Sari- Puththa Thero's in the shrine room.












References : 
www.serendib.btoptions.lk
www.closenberghotel.com
buddhistplacesinsrilanka.weebly.com
tour.lk/destination/sri-lanka/galle/rumassala/155/

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